Upon researching some articles regarding a Mr. Winthrop Chenery from Belmont, Massachusetts, I found some interesting information regarding the importance of fresh air. He was an ancestor of mine who had a large herd of Holsteins from Holland. In fact he was credited with being the first farmer in the U.S. to import these types of cows as he stated they were superior in milk production, yielding 64 gallons of milk per day. He sold these cows to farmers as far away as California. He had his own large herd which suffered pleuro-pneumonia in the 1860’s. He lost two-thirds of his head of cattle to the disease, making headlines in Harper’s depicting etchings from his farm.
                 Originally it was thought that the cattle fever came from Germany, England and France as accounts of the fever spread all over Europe. Most likely the cattle were infected upon import. I read an archived article from The New York Times, originally taken from The Massachusetts Ploughman. Mr. Chenery’s cattle fever dilemma was mentioned again. Only this time, Mr. Chenery said he believed that his very tight barns [double boarding] lead to the death of his cattle. In fact, air is needed for hay or it will get musty and even ignite, when a few more hours in the sun for drying will yield better hay. It was stated that it is better to have air circulating between the boards of the barn for the hay. Even corn rotted in the cribs without air. Tight barns and close confinement surely lead to their deaths. It is also not good for horses who suffer the heaves due to close confinement. Interestingly the article mentioned that the fowl in the sky need the most air, when the fish in the waters need the least, but all need air to survive.
                Also of interest was a little ingenuity to keeping the barn somewhat warm for the animals. The farmer was to place his haymow on the coldest sides of the barn to prevent drafts and snow from coming through the cracks. That would be enough to keep the hay from spoiling and the cattle from getting fever.
                 It is compelling to compare life then and today. We are confined in our small homes, our jobs, and most of us are working to put gas in our tanks and oil in our homes. It is as if we have all these modern conveniences to make our lives easier…. But do they? It is not practical to want to go back to the old ways but surely something has been lost. I yearn for a simpler life with little wants. I would like to work less and learn to live off the land and be self sustaining, like the old ways. Recently, I gave a talk about Immigrants to Westbrook. I interviewed several families. I was amazed by the story of a Greek family who had total expenses for one year in Greece at the turn of the century of $1.67. The son of this immigrant relayed to me that his father told him this story many times. The expenses were for things like needles to sew. That is why it is so important to find some balance in life: to enjoy the scenery on the way home, to stop and take a picture of that family of the Canadian geese I see each night, and to still be amazed by that sunset I see setting over Sebago Lake amongst the mountains. We  can still read about the old ways and yearn for something lost, but still marvel at how lucky we are to have good health much of it due to scientific intervention. Maybe there are tradeoffs if we consider the lives we lead today. Still we must strive for balance in our ever - changing world. So if you have a little piece of land, I would advise to hold onto it. Growing your own garden may be just the thing to give you balance, and fresh air to maintain good health. Who can really imagine what the next fifty years hold?



Look Closely at the four little 'babies' in the grass-What a treat!